


With a Cherry On Top

by Semperfidani



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: 1960s, 60s music, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, American History, Bad boy with a soft side, Because Courtney and me will go down with that ship, Brief mention of loss of parent, Brooklyn, Cherries will be consumed, Dani attempts to write smut. She will fail., Era-Typical Sexism and Racism, F/M, Finn is a player but is looking for love really, Gift Fic for KyloTrashForever to celebrate her 50th fic, Gingerrose - Freeform, Good Girl with a bad side, Greasers, I Heart NYC, JFK - Freeform, Light Catholicism (Just for the setting/characterization), Literally And Figuratively, Makeover scene., Modern Era, NYC, Orphanage fam FTW!, PlatinumPilot, Reylo - Freeform, Reylo!Baby, Roux - Freeform, Smut, Strangers to Lovers, TW: Brief mention of death due to AIDS and Cancer, TW: Brief mentions of death due to killing, TW: Brief reference to 9/11 but only in reference to prayer vigil, Unplanned Pregnancy, What do we call Poe and Phasma shipping really?, pre-marital sex, supportive friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-11
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-02-29 17:19:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18782698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Semperfidani/pseuds/Semperfidani
Summary: Rey is a good girl. Ben is a bad boy.The new President has asked what people "will do" for the country.Ben chose Rey.Just kidding. It's a sweet story set in the 60s. Cherries will be consumed.***“Hey baby, can I have a root beer float with a cherry on top?”Rey jumps at the deep voice and whirls around with the broom clutched firmly in her hand.She sees a man with a deep grin with a slight dimple on his left cheek. His right eyebrow is cocked as he lowers his black Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses.“Ben?”“Hey Sweetheart. Didja miss me?”





	1. Bring It On Home To Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KyloTrashForever](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyloTrashForever/gifts).



> This is a gift fic to celebrate the fact that Courtney published her 50th fic! Congrats! 
> 
> Courtney was one of my earliest Reylo fandom friends, has supported me along the way, gifted a fic to me (Tattooed Hearts), and is just generally a great person.
> 
> Inspired by the same era of her wonderful fic, Please Mr. Postman, I decided to go back in time 50 years to celebrate her 50th fic.
> 
> Please don't look too closely at the dates of the songs compared to the dates of the fic. It's also un-beta'd.

 

 

> _You know I'll always be your slave. 'Til I'm buried. Buried in my grave.  
>  _
> 
> _Oh honey, bring it to me. Bring your sweet lovin’. Bring it on home to me._
> 
> _Yeah (yeah), Yeah (yeah), Yeah (yeah)._

> _~Bring it On Home to Me by Sam Cooke._

* * *

**July 1963**

As summers went, this one was a scorcher, even for the normally hot and humid community of Brooklyn Heights in Brooklyn, New York. It was late in the evening, about thirty minutes before closing, and it was still a sticky hot 98 degrees.  
  
Rey sticks her head into the cooler at Maz’s Ice Cream and Soda Shoppe and put a quart of vanilla ice cream away, a welcome relief from the stifling heat. The sweat drips down from her brunette hair that was tied into a three buns, the crown of her hair back-combed into a small bouffant. She wore a stiff-collared white blouse tied with a pink ribbon at the neck. Her small breasts are accentuated by a stiff white cone-shaped Wonderbra, a pool of sweat forming in the crevice. She wore a pouffy pink poodle skirt, complete with a black poodle embroidered on the front. Normally, she doesn’t mind this uniform. But during this heat wave, it feels stifling and heavy.

It was quiet on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade — even hard core New Yorkers avoided the heat as much as possible — so Rey volunteered to close up so that Finn take off early. Finn Storm was sweet on Janna, the daughter of Reverend Lando Calrissian from Baptist church. He had plans to take her to a sock hop at the church social. Rose Tico was spending the day with her husband Armitage Hux at a Yankees game, eager to see if Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle hit some home runs as they were on pace to beat Babe Ruth’s record. Poe Dameron, who was recently promoted to district manager of Rebel Construction, was taking it easy in his brownstone over in Cobble Hill with his new wife Phasma, and 20-month old toddler Leighan.

Rey retrieves the mop and bucket from the supply closet, and washes the checkered floor to the beat of the music blaring from the radio.

> “Hey kids, this is Cousin Brucie here. It’s a real scorcher outside. It’s time to heat it up even hotter with the newest hit, _Heatwave_ from Martha Reeves and The Vandellas!”
> 
> _Whenever I’m with him, something inside, starts burning, and I’m filled with desire. Could it be, the devil in me? Or is this the way love's supposed to be? It’s like a heat wave. Burning in my heart._

Humming along, Rey grabs the mop and starts dancing across the floor. She closes her eyes and imagines the broom is a tall man with dark wavy hair, big ears, and a large aquiline nose that suited his striking face.

A slight jingle of a bell indicates a customer. Perhaps, if she had her eyes open and wasn’t lost  deep in her thoughts, she might have heard the bell. She would have seen the man of her dreams, but with a high and tight crew cut standing a Marine Dress Blues that fit his body to form. She would have noticed uniquely large ears poking out of his distinct white cover, and his large hands affixed with white gloves. She would have heard the spit-polished black shoes tapping across the checkered-tiled floor.

“Hey baby, can I have a root beer float with a cherry on top?”  
  
Rey jumps at the deep voice and whirls around with the broom clutched firmly in her hand.  
  
She sees a man with a deep grin with a slight dimple on his left cheek. His right eyebrow is cocked as he lowers his black Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses.  
  
“Ben?”  
  
“Hey Sweetheart. Didja miss me?”

The only sound was the song streaming from the radio — and the clatter of the mop handle against the checkered floor.

* * *

 

**January 1961**

  
“ _Corpus Christi”_

“Amen,” Rey replied, knelt in supplication as Father Luke Skywalker, dressed in an elaborate velvet gold vestment, lays the communion host onto her tongue at the long marble altar rail. Her wooden-beaded rosary is pressed firmly between her hands and a simple white chapel veil is draped over her head. She is wearing her Sunday finest, a white peplum blouse with a peter pan collar and ¾ length sleeves, tucked into a modest a-line powder blue pleated skirt that fell below her knees that she created from a _Simplicity_ pattern.

The Oratory of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was packed full as a special Mass was offered in support of President Kennedy’s inauguration. The lingering scent of incense makes her nose tickle. Rey returns to the pew and kneels next to Poe, who is talking to his friends rather than praying in contemplative silence — as usual. She hears him mumble something to Rose about the dance that was scheduled afterwards in the church hall, who in turn mumbles something to Finn.

They were all raised in the Angel Guardian Home, an orphanage run by the Sisters of Mercy.

Rey Kenobi was found abandoned on the church steps by Father Ben Kenobi when she was six years old. She had no memory of her parents except a woman’s voice saying she would come back for her. She was nineteen years old and still waiting. Kenobi was the name orphans with no last name used for the purposes of acquiring legal documentation in order to access services.

Rose Tico's parents and sister Paige died in the early days of the Vietnam War from a landmine explosion. Sister Jessika Pava was stationed in Saigon as part of the relief effort when Rose was brought to her care by a group of American soldiers who discovered her hiding in a rice field. Under Sister Pava’s tutelage, Rose learned to write and speak in fluent English. When Sister Pava’s term of service concluded, she was able to convince her religious order to sponsor Rose as a refugee.

From the best information the Sisters were able to gather, Finn Kenobi was kidnapped by an underground adoption agency and his parents were unknown. When a white couple discovered they simply couldn’t accept with a colored boy, they brought him to the Sisters of Mercy and released him into their care.

Poe Dameron was brought to the orphanage at the age of twelve by Sister Amilyn Holdo, who found him huddled in the doors of the soup kitchen. He was raised by a single mother who one day didn’t wake up from her nap.

They, along with the nuns, were the only family Rey knew. The four of them in particular were as thick of thieves, much to the Sisters annoyance. Poe and Finn were roommates, both having been expected to get jobs and move out when they reached the age of eighteen. Rose and Rey were still living at the orphanage, as both of them were females who lacked husbands. The pressure to get married or join the religious order was strong. Father Skywalker was particularly insistent that Rey consider a life as a nun, having expressed his opinion that Rey had "special gifts."

“I heard he is going to be there,” whispers Rose. “And I heard he is bringing some friends.”  
  
“Well I heard that he’s a greaser with a bad attitude,” whispers Finn.

“Well I heard he just got out of juvie,” whispers Poe.  
  
Rey leans over and whispers to Poe. “Who are we talking about?”  
  
Sister Amilyn shot them a glare, raising her finger to her lips to shush them as people continued to line up for communion. Her lilac hair was just barely visible under the habit.  
  
Poe leaned slightly into Rey. “Father Luke’s nephew is coming to the dance today. I overheard Sister Amilyn who was talking about this to Sister Jessika. They are concerned, but apparently Father Luke’s sister is some big time donor so nobody is voicing their objections. He’s some army brat that just got out of juvie. But if you want my opinion —” Poe didn’t get a chance to finish his thought as Sr. Amilyn swat his head with a rolled up bulletin. He quickly straightened up and resumed his prayers.  
  
Rey contemplates this exciting turn of events when the door to the chapel opens loudly with a swift bang. Rey startles and turns her head to see the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life walk down the aisle. He wore a black bomber-style leather jacket on his tall frame, partially zipped up against the chill of the crisp of winter, with a white t-shirt underneath. Dark denim jeans accentuated his strong thighs. His dark wavy brown hair, that was high in the front and parted on the side, was textured with little bit of pomade. Black Ray-Ban Wayfarer glasses shielded his eyes. His black loafers squeaked from the slush of the snow as they made their way up the aisle.

Rey watches as the handsome dark-haired greaser walks up to the altar, lowering his sunglasses down his long aquiline nose, removing them to tuck them into his jacket pocket. Her eyes gaze at his face, noting the scattering of small beauty marks across his face in a striking way — like a constellation in the night sky. She was sure he had brown eyes, but up close, she could see a hint of a yellow ring around the pupils.

Rey blushes as she realizes that he is staring back at her with a slight smirk on his face, his head slightly turned to observe her in the submissive kneeling position. She could feel her heart beat in her chest as she inhales deeply, scenting his cologne that was much nicer than the Old Spice that Poe and Finn usually wore. 

His pauses beside their pew, his smirk deepening as he winks at her.

 _The nerve!_ Rey is flustered at his audacity, turning rapidly to stare at the statue of the Virgin Mary in the opposite direction as if it was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen in her life.  
  
She can hear him snicker to himself.  
  
About ten full seconds pass before she shifts her eyes slightly to watch him walk to the altar, noticing the way denim clung to his buttocks as he knelt at the altar. She stares at the man making the sign of the cross, only marginally noting the look of tired resignation by Father Luke as he reaches into the ciborium to retrieve a communion wafer.

Rey pants a little bit as she watches Ben stick his pink tongue out, licking his lips before Father Luke places the host on his tongue. She feels the deep heat of a blush form on her face as a tingle forms in her secret parts.

As he turns to walk away, his heated gaze lands on Rey and he doesn’t drop it until he’s practically beside her pew, his pinkie brushing against her steeple-formed hands before continuing to walk down the aisle.

Rey inhales sharply as she as feels an unfamiliar bit of wet spill from deep within her secret parts onto the crotch of her floral belly-high bloomers. She hopes her friends aren’t paying attention to what is happening.

“Oh my god, did you just see that Rey? I think he likes you,” whispers Rose, leaning over Poe.  
  
“More to the point, I think our Rey likes him back, judging by her...ahem...blush.” Poe waggles his eyebrows.

“I don’t know. He looks like bad news to me,” Finn huffs in reply. Of the three of them, she was closest to Finn, who saw himself something of a bit of a protector.

“I have no idea who you all are talking about," huffed Rey, her face forming into fake indifference. She can’t even make eye contact with her friends as they snicker among themselves. "I was praying my rosary, unlike you heathens.” She hoped God wouldn’t strike her down right there for fibbing in Church. 

After a few moments, she raises from her position of kneeling and sits in the pew. She bravely turns her head to peek over her shoulder.  
  
Her eyes connect with smouldering brown eyes sitting in the back pew, looking at her with a deep smirk. He blows her a kiss.  
  
Rey gasps at his cheekiness and quickly turns to look back at the altar, only to meet the contemplative stare of Father Luke, his fingers pursed upwards as if in consideration.  

Unable to handle the guilt, Rey looks down at her hands and doesn’t look up for the rest of the Mass.

* * *

 

Rey is sipping punch, talking to Rose when _he_ enters the hall. He was followed by a tall guy with pale white skin, brown eyes, and flaming red hair that is styled the same way. They are both wearing the exact same outfit.

An even taller female enters the hall with them. Her icy blonde pixie-cut short is hair tied up with a red bandana, a leather jacket over a form-fitting polka-dot dress that fell just above her knees, and bright red kitten-heeled shoes that matched her bright red lipstick. Her mascara was heavy and her eyeliner was pencilled into a winged design.  
  
“Did you see that tall drink of punch?” Rose practically pants in the chair next to her.

“Rose, we just literally talked about him. He’s just okay.” Rey watches as he moves across to the refreshment table.  
  
“I was talking about his Archie Andrews-like buddy. But I thought you didn’t notice the tall dark-haired greaser at Mass? Liar liar pants on fire!"  
  
“What is Rey lying about now?” Poe asks as he approaches and hands them each a plate of assorted baked goods.  
  
Rose grins at Poe. “Rey lied when she said she didn’t notice that cool cat at church! And he’s here right now!”  
  
If the greaser didn’t didn’t notice her before, he did now as three sets of eyes stare him down from across the floor — in the way friends do when they are trying to embarrass you.

He motioned to his two friends, and together they walked across the floor, dodging dancing couples swaying to the sounds of Frank Sinatra.

“Who's the chick?” Poe asked, clearly interested. “I think I’m in love.”  
  
Finn rolled his eyes. “You, or your cock?”    
  
“Same thing buddy. Same thing.”

“You two are so gross. Tell me again why Rose and I put up with you baboons?”

“Because we are family, sweet cheeks!” Poe grabbed Rey into a side hug. 

Rey noticed the eyes of the secret object of her affect narrow at the gesture. A flame of jealousy lit his eyes as he neared.  
  
An awkward silence overcame the group, until Poe laid on his usual charm. “I guess we’ll talk first. I’m Poe Dameron. This is Finn Kenobi,’’ he motioned to Finn, who seemed a bit uptight. "This pint-sized wonder is —”

“Rose Tico, pleased to meet you,” she reached her hand out to the red head, who seemed a bit surprised but reluctantly accepted her handshake. Rey couldn’t tell if his lip was curled into a smile or sneer. She supposed he had a face for radio, and couldn’t understand why Rose thought him handsome.  
  
“I’m Armitage Hux. The pleasure is mine.” Rey figured he was from Massachusetts as he sounded like an uptight JFK.  
  
“And who might this pretty lady be,” Poe flirtatiously inquired of the blonde. She didn’t seem impressed.  
  
“I’m Gwendolyn Phasma. You can call me Phasma.” She held out a hand with lacquered red nails.  
  
“Phas it is.” Poe makes  production out of kissing the back of her hand. Phasmal gives him a knuckle sandwich and rolls her eyes in a way that indicated she was bored with him. Which naturally got Poe even _more_ excited. He was not one to back away from a challenge.  
  
“Phas-ma” she replied, enunciating slowly as if Poe was slow. She motioned over her shoulder. “And this suddenly mute guy’s name is Kylo.”

 _Kylo?_ Rey wondered if maybe he didn’t speak English with a weird name like that. He looked a bit embarrassed, as if uncomfortable with the name.    
  
“I’m Finn and this is Rey. She’s basically our _kid sister._ We don’t really want a reason to go cruisin’ for a bruisin’ today.” Finn’s voice was directed towards Kylo, an underlying warning spoken in-between the lines.  
  
Rey noticed the look of relief that spread across Kylo’s face. His lips turned up into a tentative shy smile. Rey smiled shyly back.  
  
“Okay everyone. It’s time for couples dancing.” Sister Amilyn’s voice rang out from across the floor. “Now an important reminder to all our single people and unmarried couples. Make sure you leave some room for Jesus.” Everyone from their small extended group snickered, especially Poe who was the loudest of them all.

Sister Amilyn glared at them from the podium. “Especially you Mr. Dameron.”  
  
Finn took off across the room, his eyes hot on Enfys Nest, a daughter of a prominent black family from Manhattan. Segregation was still an issue in New York, but Father Luke was very progressive and openly allowed and advocated for mixed-race social events as it was his opinion that all were equal before the Lord.  
  
Before Hux could say a word, Rose grabbed his hand and dragged him onto the dance floor. What Rose lacked for in size, she made up in forceful enthusiasm. Hux looked like a storm had passed through but shrugged and seemed to go with it.  
  
“Senorita Phas?” Poe held his hand out to Phasma. She glared at him like he was a piece of gum on her shoe. Poe, taking that as a yes, grabbed her hand to drag her on the floor. Oddly enough, Phasma didn’t protest. In fact, her red lips turned up into a hint of a smile — until Poe turned to look at her. Her face fell into an icy glare as she willingly turned into his embrace.

Rey glanced shyly at Kylo and watched as he ran his hands through his hair in nervous awkwardness. For a greaser, he sure didn’t seem so cocky in person.  
  
“Do you want to...like...um...dance or something?” He nervously exhales.  
  
Rey loses all sense of thought as she stares into his eyes, and barely musters an nod. He reaches his large hand out and envelopes her small hand into his to lead her out onto the dance floor, gathering her into his arm in a proper dance pose.    
  
Rey inhales. He smells nice, like a deep rich forest full of dark green trees.

Kylo inhales as well. Rey is confused as to why as she’s not wearing any perfume. His eyes flick to her and the desire is unmistakable.

The lights slightly dim, and she can hear the scratch of the record player as the needle hits the vinyl. The music starts, and he starts swaying their body to the beat of the music. 

> _When the night has come. And the land is dark. And the moon is the only light we’ll see._
> 
> _No, I won’t be afraid, oh, I won’t be afraid._ _Just as long as you stand, stand by me._ _  
> _
> 
> _So darlin’, darlin, stand by me._

Kylo gathers her closer into his body, and she rests her head onto his shoulder as they sway back and forth. There is no room for Jesus in their embrace.  
  
Rey can feel something hard pressing against her stomach from his denim jeans. Although Rey young and inexperienced, Rose has sneaked in enough Harlequin Romance novels into their rooms that Rey is not _completely_ naive as to what is happening.  
  
She presses intentionally closer, her signal not lost on him at all. She can feel her bloomers getting wet. He inhales and moans a bit, and she wonders for a moment if he can _smell her._  
  
He presses his lips into her hair and whispers into her ear. “Sweetheart, do you want to get out of here?”

Rey _wants to_ pretend she is a good girl with good values and understands the importance of her virtue. She wants to pretend that Father Luke’s homilies resonate with her.

> _“Young men and women. The temptations of flesh are all around us. Don’t fall for sin. Be wary of a pair of pretty eyes.”_

So she nods her head enthusiastically, selling her soul to the  prettiest pairs of eyes and devilish grin in all of Brooklyn.

He smiles his signature smirk. If she thought he was sexy in Church, seeing his smile up close has her melting in more ways than one.  
  
They glance around. Rose is getting handsy with Hux, and Poe is getting an earful from Sr. Amilyn as he grinds with Phasma. Finn is dancing with Enfys and Jesus.  
  
Kylo quickly grabs her hand and they run out the room before anyone notices.  
  
As they exit the hall onto the street, they are both laughing. They continue to run down the street, past a group of people watching President Kennedy’s Inauguration from the television shop window. His voice rings out from the transistor radio someone is holding up as they pass by.

>   
>  **_“_ _And so,_ _my_ _fellow Americans:_ _ask not what your country_ _can do for you—_ _ask_ _what you can do for_ _your country_ ** _**.”** _


	2. Unchained Melody

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey reunite in a passionate way.
> 
> We find out what happens after they left the dance! (Hint: smut). 
> 
> Basically, this chapter is gratuitous smut.
> 
> And sometimes big surprises come in small sizes...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggle with two things: 
> 
> 1\. Proper tense usage - this fic is unbeta'd so all the mistakes are mine.
> 
> 2\. Smut - I struggle with writing smut. But this is a gift for Courtney, so as God as my witness, I will write the smut (says I, standing on a field, waiving my fist like Scarlett O'Hara). So I really really pushed myself because I asked myself: what would Courtney do? And I remember a time when we were messaging on Tumblr and she was nervous about writing smut, and I encouraged her to take chances. And now look at her. She's a total smut goblin. 
> 
> So just like Rey, I'm going to pop my smut cherry. I apologize at how embarrassingly bad it is. 
> 
> Chapter warning: lots and lots of smut. Also, age era appropriate post-coital cigarette smoking.

_ Oh, my love, my darling.  _

_ I’ve hungered for your touch.  _

_ A long, lonely time.  _

_ Time goes by so slowly. And time can do so much. _

_ Are you still mine?  _

_ I need your love. I need your love.  _

_ God speed your love to me. _

_ ~ Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers  _

* * *

 

 

**July 1963**

 

“Ben?”   
  
“Hey Sweetheart. Didja miss me?”

Rey dropped the mop and launched herself at him, jumping into his outstretched arms like a spider monkey. She clung to his broad shoulders and wrapped her legs around his fit waist, grinding herself into his belly. He rocked a bit from the force of her impact, before placing his large hands firmly underneath her round ass to support her.   


He pulled back to look at her tear-glistened face. “I take that as a yes?” He barely has time to smirk before she peppers his face with kisses.

“You came back for me! Like you promised!” She pressed a kiss into his neck. “You came back.”

He wraps his arms around her, pressing his nose into her hair. They sway as he holds her in his embrace. He gently pulls back a tendril of her hair and tucks it behind her ear as she whispered kisses onto his skin.   


“Are you still mine?” She detects a hint of insecurity and vulnerability in his voice as he whispers softly. She knew what he is asking. She knew what she promised.

She nods in his embrace, half-laughing and half-crying, nuzzling her nose into the crook of his neck, as if trying to remember what he smells like. She inhales the familiar forest-scented Old Spice aftershave.

His cover is knocked off his head as she reaches up and runs her hand through his short brown hair.    
  
“It’s too short,” she pouted.   
  
Ben groaned and nibbled at her lips, hungry for more kisses. “It’s not my fault, babe. Blame Uncle Sam.”   
  
“Screw Uncle Sam!”

“No thanks, Sweetheart. I’d rather screw you.”   


Ben carried her towards the counter, resting her ass on the counter top. He pulled her skirt up, lifting the layers of dress over her hips. Her legs are sprawled open and her pink lace panties are exposed, a bit of thatch spilling out at the hemline.

He walked over to lock the front door and methodically shut the curtains. The only sounds are her heavy breathing, the heels of his black military issued oxford shoes clicking against the checkered-floor, and Cousin Brucie on the radio.   
  


> “Hey kids! It’s hot outside, but perhaps some of you are feeling the heat in other ways. Some of you might even have the  _ Fever _ by Peggy Lee!”
> 
> _ Never knew how much I love you. Never knew how much I care. When you put your arms around me. I get a fever that’s so hard to bear. You give me fever. When you kiss me. Fever when you hold me tight. Fever! In the mornin’, fever all through the night.  _ _   
>    
>  _

Ben prowled like a panther hunting his prey — only the prey was never this eager and willing.

“Do you still want a float, sir?”   


He levels her smirk that makes her lady bits quiver.    


There is only one cherry he wanted.   
  
He knelt before her in supplication, before gently caressing her ankle with his lips, his tongue tracing a patch next to the strap of her Mary Jane shoes. Rey moaned as his hand gently caressed the back of her calf, his tongue following his hand in obedience. He stopped to lick the back curve of her knee, smiling at her gasp of pleasure. She felt the crotch of her panties moistening with her slick as he continued to caress his lips up her leg towards her lady-bits. 

It’s been too long since she felt this way.   


Much too long. 

* * *

 

**January 1961**

 

They ran hand-in-hand down the cobblestone path along the promenade. He occasionally jumped onto the metal fence, pretending to want to jump into the East River. Rey would cry out in protest and he would jump off, landing in her outstretched arms as if she was saving him. His lips would hover just above hers  — the only kiss exchanged that of the two puffs of air that would appear from their breath into the cold crisp air.   


They eventually arrived at a tall brownstone in the fashionable Brooklyn Heights. He guides her up the slippery steps, careful to avoid the icy patches. They stood before a blue door with fake plastic topiaries on both sides, both covered with a light dusting of snow and some blue and silver ornaments. He inserts a key into the door.    


The foyer was modern, with light hardwood floors and a zenith blue rug. There is a writing table just to the right of the entry. The walls are decorated with fashionable egg-shell colored wallpaper, accented with dainty pale blue birds.The colour pattern repeats itself in the living room just to the right, with blue and white modern danish-style furniture and teak wood tables. Rey can just make out a teak-wood buffet table in the dining room. Overall, the house is light and airy, but modern in a timeless way.   


“Is this your house?” Rey continued to explore the house with her eyes, settling on a black and white family photo set in a silver frame and placed at the centre of the marble mantle over the fireplace.   


“No, it’s my mother’s house,’’ Kylo replied sheepishly, running his hand through his hair as if feeling awkward about his living situation. “She doesn’t spend as much time in New York City anymore  since…” he broke off, as if catching himself. “She lives full-time at our vacation house in the Hampton's. So it’s more or less my place.”   
  
She walked forward into the living room, mesmerized by the black and white photo as Kylo silently walked beside her. The older man in the picture was very tall man wearing a formal Marine uniform and holding a baby. The man had wavy hair, a roguish look with wide expressive eyes and a  _ very  _ familiar looking smirk. The woman was much shorter and wearing a flowing gown, with darker hair tied up in stylish side-buns, her look one of determination and sass. The baby was a few months old with a tuft of dark hair barely covering his ears, and a tiny thumb inserted into its’ mouth. He was wearing what appeared to be a baptismal gown with delicate lace.

Rey glanced at Kylo, who was staring at the floor, and then back to the picture.    
  
“These must be your parents. I can see the resemblance — especially with your father.”

A few silent moments pass as Kylo gazes at the picture. She could see his eyelid twitch a bit as his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.    
  
“Yes. That’s my old man. He died on D-Day. I was four years old. I don’t remember him much, but I’ve spent my entire life living his shadow,” he paused, running his hand through his hair. “So I guess I know him better than most kids who lost their dad.”    
  
She rests her hand onto his arm, stroking it up and down in a soothing motion. “I’m so sorry, Ben. I know what it’s like not to grow up with a parent.”

He looked down at her delicate hand rubbing up and down his broad bicep, before gently placing his own palm above hers, guiding it to his chest just above his heartbeat. She could feel the steady beat of his heart beneath her fingers.    
  
“Do you want to go upstairs?” His question was laced with a tone of insecurity, as if he was worried she would turn around and flee.    
  
“Kylo — “    
  
“Ben,” he cut her off. “It’s...Ben. My name. That is. My name. Ben.” The words stumble out in a rush. He looked away, as if embarrassed — although of what she was unsure.   
  
“Ben,” she reached her hand from his heart to caress his cheek, her thumb latching under his jaw to raise his eyes to her. “I want to be here. More than anything. With you. Don’t be afraid. I feel it too.”

She lifted herself on her tiptoes, gently caressing his lips with hers, before stepping down again, a deep blush spread across her face. She peered up at him, noting a flush of red spread across his cheeks.     
  
With a quick jerk, he reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him so that she was pressed fully against his body. He lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers, tipping his tongue out to part her lips open. His tongue swept across her tongue, and she responded back in a way song that felt primal and intimately theirs.    


She moaned into his mouth, and he pulled back, only to lift her up in his arms in a bridal carry. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed closer, peppering his jaw with gentle kisses as he climbed the stairs.   


He carried her into a bedroom, kicking the door closed behind him with his foot, and gently lowered her into a sitting position on a pale blue settee across from a large Queen-size mahogany four-poster bed. The bedroom was sparsely decorated — save for a mahogany record player cabinet with a powder blue Dansette Tempo record player on top in a light. There were two cabinet openings on either side stacked with LP’s.

Ben saunters over to the records as Rey sat on the settee, nervously fidgeting with her hands. He went through his pile, selecting the LP he wanted to play. He lifts the lid of the Dansette, and carefully pulls the record from the sleeve before gently laying it down and adjusting the needle. He clicked the switch, and turns around.

The needle scratches the LP a bit as he walks over to her. He reaches out to grab her hand, lifting her into his embrace. She parts her lips and closes her eyes as he lowers his head towards her.

> _ Wise men say only fools rush in. _
> 
> _ But I can’t help falling in love with you. _

He looks  down at her one last time, seeking consent with his eyes. She willingly nods. He reaches for the top button of her blouse, his knuckles gently grazing the column of her throat. She stirs at the touch, a gentle mew of want escaping her parted lips. His hand continues the journey down her blouse, popping each button from its hold. The hint of breast exposed at the top of her cotton bra causes his breathing to rapidly increase. The blouse gently fell to the floor, and with a swift movement, he unzipped her skirt so that it slides easily off her hips.   


> _ Shall I stay? Would it be a sin?  _
> 
> _ If I can’t help falling in love with you. _

Ben stepped back to look at her body. Rey bows her head shyly as she felt a blush forming all over as his eyes roamed her body in overt appreciation. He reached his hand forward to lift her chin up, the desire —  _ and something deeper _ — in his eyes. He takes the same hand and lowers it to hers, clasping their fingers together as walked backwards to the side of the bed.

> _ Like a river flows. Surely to the sea. _
> 
> _ Darling so it goes. Some things are meant to be. _

He reaches for her, grabbing her in his embrace as their lips passionately lock. He parts her lip with his to gain access to the sweet nectar of her mouth. She is uncertain as to how to respond, but instinct causes her to reach her hands up behind his back and settle her fingers in his soft hair, tugging his head downwards to deepen the kiss. He moaned in response. 

“Sweetheart, you are so good to me,” he whispered against her lips. She pressed her breasts against his solid chest and he moaned again, his body shuddering as if begging for release.

> _ Take my hand, take my whole life too. For I can’t help falling in love with you.  _ _   
>    
>  _

He reached behind her and unclasped her bra; and after some awkward entanglement from her arms, he tossed it haphazardly across the room. She reaches down to lower her bloomers, and a blush creeps up her body as she is fully exposed. She feels a bit embarrassed as she isn’t as sophisticated as the ladies she reads about in the five-and-dime novels. Her pubic bone is covered in a full dark bush, but is at least soft to the touch.   


Sensing her discomfort, he whispers in her ear. “You are perfect, just as you are.”   


“Ben...I…” she spits out, bushing as she stumbles. “You know I was raised by the orphanage. The very Catholic orphanage. I...I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Let me be your teacher.” He gently guides his hand from the juncture of her kneecap, tracing it slowly up her inner thigh, gently hovering outside of her folds. He leaned into kiss her, his eyes opened on hers as she gazes back at him.    
  
“Keep your eyes open on me, Sweetheart. Don’t drop your gaze,” he commands with a husky voice. She nods her head in simple obedience.    


He slowly parts her folds with one finger, and she gasped at the feel of him probing into her. He stares intently into her, looking for visual cues of her readiness, and pushes a bit deeper.    
  
She desperately wants to close her eyes to the fullness of the sensation, but keeps her eyes open on him as instructed. It’s as if the world outside doesn’t exist as they stare at one another. Slowly, he begins to move his finger around her slick, rubbing against her engorged clitoris underneath her hood and she moans in tiny little mews at his ministrations.  He continues to rub until she feels a tense sensation, as if a tidal wave has poured out of her pussy.    
  
“Ben,” she screams loudly as she gushes on his finger, her eyes rolling to the back of her lolling head; she can hardly breathe from the quiver of the sensation rocking through her nerves.    
  
“That’s my girl. You did very good,” he whispers encouragement in her ears as she came down from her high.    


She can feel his hardness pressed against the side of her waist. He stands suddenly to remove his clothes. She hazily observes his broad shoulders and muscular chest. A smattering of hair trails from his abdomen into his jeans, which he swiftly unbuttons. She can see the straining of his cock outlined against his white briefs.    
  
She leans forward, tentatively, to grab the waistband of his drawers as he stands there, transfixed by her boldness. She lowers it gently over his head, and it springs forward to her as if seeking the light. He hisses as she palms his cock with her small hands while staring up at him, seeking assurance. He almost cums in her hand.    
  
He grabs her hand to stop her and pushes her gently back onto the bed before crawling in beside her, adjusting the blankets. He continues to caress her body, his tongue following suit until she practically begs him to do something. 

He gently raises himself above her, holding her hands above his head as he lines himself up.    


“Eyes on me, Sweetheart.”    
  
She flicks her eyes to him, a mixture of desire and apprehension.    
He slowly enters her, watching her as her eyes cloud over in desire, feeling her stretch to accommodate him. She occasionally winces, and he pauses, letting her adjust to the sensation, before he is completely inside her as far as she can take him. He feels her tighten against him and he pushes faster and faster, until they are joined a cry of unison.    
  
He means to pull out, but she is clenching so hard that he can’t help himself and spills deep inside of her.    


He collapses, quickly spinning as to take the weight off of her, bringing her to rest on top of his chest as he slowly eases out her. Their breaths begin to slow down until they even out completely.   


* * *

 

He reaches for the night stand and grabs a pack of Winston cigarettes and a Zippo lighter. He offers her one and she takes it, leaning in as he lights it for her. She choked on the first puff, her inexperience shining brightly. He laughs and lights his own as she continues to experiment.    
  
He places the ashtray between them, and lays back and wrapped his arm behind her head. They lay in the aftermath, the only sound their inhale of their cigarettes, and the occasional tapping of the ashtray and sound of Rey coughing on the smoke.     


“Is it too soon to say I love you?” He looks at her, smiling as her eyes continue to water from the cigarette.

“Nope,” she replies, inhaling and exhaling quickly like an amateur smoker.   


“Good. Because I do you know.”

“I know.”

“Good.”

“Yep.”

“Move in with me.”

She leans up on her elbow, flicking him an amused look. “Isn’t that a bit... _ scandalous _ ?”

“So that’s not a no. Good. I can work with that.” He smiles, flashing her an amused look back as he snuffs out his cigarette.

She thinks about it for a few seconds, squishing her own cigarette out in the ashtray, and her face falls “But…”

“But what? It’s too soon? I’m too intense?” He rushes out rapidly, leaning up to grab her hand. “Baby, when you know you love someone, you don’t want to wait to start your life with her.”

“That’s not it,” she bites her lip, looking down. “It’s Rose. I don't want to leave her behind. And what will Father Luke and the Sisters say about a woman living with a man before marriage?”

“Who gives a shit with Uncle Luke has to say? He’s a priest, so what does he know about relationships. Besides, he’ll just piss on anything I do anyways like the judgmental old coot he is,” Ben bit out bitterly. He sensed there was something more, but didn’t press it.    
  
“I’m not so worried about the scandal of it all. I’m an orphan and I’m used to people looking down on me,” she paused, a single tear running down her face. “But I can’t leave Rose behind. I just can’t.”

“Hey,” he grabbed her into a hug, resting her head and his chest and stroked her hair. “It’s okay babe. We could...we could have her move in too! There’s plenty of space. She can have the guest bedroom.”

She raised her tear-stained face at him with a huge smile. “You would be okay with that? We don’t have any money to pay you. I’ll have to get a job.”

“If it makes you happy, it makes me happy. We could tell people that you are renting a suite from my mother and that you are roommates with Rose. That would remove the scandal of the situation. Nobody needs to know the truth.” He looked excited, like a child in a candy store.

She couldn’t help but smile at the eagerness in his eyes. “Are you sure, sure? You barely know me?”   
  
“Baby, I’ve had parts of my body in your pussy. I think we are beyond strangers now.” He grinned as she blushed beet red. He lowered himself and flicked his lips on her nipple, the sound making a distinct pop sound. She squirmed and felt herself get wet again. 

“Maybe we should …  _ acquaint  _ … ourselves with each other again.”

They spent the rest of the night getting to  _ know _ each other.   


* * *

 

**July 1963**

 

Ben unbuckled his pants. Rey was sprawled on top of the counter, her stockings discarded onto the floor, and her uniform dress was hitched above her soft plush hips. They felt a bit wider than he remembered them being, as if time and age had filled her out a bit more. He loved the new feel of her, and grasped her hips, digging his large fingers into the flesh.   


She moaned at the feel of his fingers kneading into her hips, wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he removed his cock from his pants. With no hesitation, he plunged deep inside of her. She gasped as she adjusted around him, the walls of her vagina adjusting and clutching around him as if instinctual memory kicked in.    
  
He could barely hold on, shooting his spend into her as he lost complete control, his voice carrying across the shop as he yelled her name. She soon after followed him as she came, her voice screaming his name before she collapsed into his hold.    


They leaned into each other’s arms, panting until they could catch their breath. He reached for a bunch of napkin from the silver napkin holder and wiped the spend from his tip before cleaning her up.    
  
She slowly lowered herself from the counter as he walked to the garbage big to discard the napkins. She watched him as he walked away, hardly believing that he was back.    
  
He turned to her and was about to speak when a loud bang rattled the front door, causing them both to jump.    


“Rey! It’s just Poe and Phasma. Open up!” Poe’s booming voice echoed from outside.

_ Shit,  _ Rey thought to herself. She knew why they were there and she looked at Ben tentatively. 

_ I can’t put this off forever.   
_

She dashed across the floor, pushing her dress down and straightening her hair as if to remove any evidence of what happened.    


She flashed one last glance at Ben as he adjusted his cover. She took a deep breath and then plastered a smile as she unlocked the locks. 

Poe walked in, his eyes drawn to Ben. “Hey buddy! Welcome back!” He walked over and they shook hands, patting each other in the back in a half bro-hug.    
  
Phasma walked in behind, holding little Leighan’s hand as she toddled inside. She looked at Ben and then quickly back at Rey, her ice blue eyes widening. Rey bit her lips nervously as they exchanged frantic and coded looks.    
  
Leighan pulled away from Phasma’s hand and toddled over to Rey. She was wearing a blue summer dress with white ruffled collar and little blue bow attached at the bottom, and white mary jane patent leather toddler shoes  Her dark wavy mop of hair was tied in two pigtails with red satin ribbons. She looked up a Rey with dark honey brown eyes and slight freckles on her nose, her lips in a small pout. She lifted her chubby arms.   
  
“Mama up!”

Rey bent to lift Leighan into her arms as she heard an intake in breath behind her.   


“Rey?”


	3. She's Like The Wind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They spend the day at the beach and everything is going perfectly until Ben announces a decision. 
> 
> But really, this chapter is about a girl... and how she came to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So apparently today's is Courtney's birthday! Happy birthday mon amie!
> 
> This chapter reflects the rushed reality of me finding out it's Courtney's birthday and wanting to surprise her with an unplanned updated. Is this chapter rushed a bit? Sure. But it's more or less what I had planned. I had to up the chapter count by one. And mistakes are my own. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this update! (Also, completely ignore the fact that the song choice for this chapter was made in the 1987. Let's just pretend for a bit. LOL.
> 
> Also, shout out to Moria (codeblackmoira) who made this amazing mood board for me. It inspired my beach scene. Thank you. (And check out her amazing fic WARDOGS).

 

 

> _She's like the wind through my tree. She rides the night next to me._
> 
> _She leads me through moonlight, only to burn me with the sun._
> 
> _She's taken my heart, but she doesn't know what she's done._
> 
> _Feel her breath in my face._
> 
> _Her body close to me._
> 
> _Can't look in her eyes._
> 
> _She's out of my league._
> 
> _Just a fool to believe I have anything she needs._
> 
> _She's like the wind._
> 
> _~Patrick Swayze (via Dirty Dancing)_

 

* * *

**May Long Weekend 1961  - The Hamptons**

 

>  
> 
> _“Hey kids! It’s Cousin Brucie again. Hope you are all enjoying the long weekend! Don’t forget to take time between your BBQ and surfing to remember our veterans, and all they have sacrificed for our freedoms._ _Is there something in the air? Do you feel it? Do you feel the...good vibrations?  It’s the Beach Boys with Good Vibrations.”_
> 
> _“Ah! I love the colorful clothes she wears. And the way the sunlight plays upon her hair._
> 
> _I hear the sound of a gentle word. On the wind that lifts her perfume through the air._
> 
> _I’m picking up good vibrations. She’s giving me the excitation's.”_

 

“Ow!”

“Do you want to look like a greaser girl? Or do you want to look like a Munster? Hold still,” Phasma said as she plucked another hair from Rey’s eyebrow.

“I think you should wear this one,” said Rose, holding out a yellow polka-dot bikini. “He’s going to lose his mind when he sees you.”  
  
Rey tilted her head beside’s Phasma’s tall frame to peek at the bikini Rose held, and blanched. Phasma has convinced her to purchase in a last minute emergency shop prior to this weekend. Rey would have preferred the one-piece blue-striped bathing suit with the skirt at the bottom.  
  
“Do you think it makes me look like...a...you know?” Rey bit her bottom lip nervously. 

“Like a slut? Girl, you live with the guy and you bone him every night. Loudly might I add,” replied Rose, flashing her a grin. “So don’t you think it’s a bit too late to worry about appearances?”

 _She had a point._ “How would you know from all the sounds you and Hux make? Just what do you do to him in that room, by the way?”  
  
“A good girl never tells,” Rose replied with an innocent looking face, batting her eyelashes, before they all dissolved into giggles. _  
_

It had been three months since Rey moved in with Rose. She thought back to the look of disdain on Father Luke’s face when she advised him that she was moving out to live with his “naughty” nephew — well more like fibbed.

>   
>    
>  _But we will just be living like brother and sister Father Luke._ (Rey had ignored the eye roll.)
> 
> _Ben would never do anything to besmirch his mother’s reputation._ (Rey had ignored the scoff covered as a cough.)
> 
> _Rose will be living with me and she’ll make sure I am good and to never miss confession._ (Rey ignored the pointed look.)
> 
> _You’ve misjudged Ben, and you’ve misjudged me._ (Rey ignored his glare.)
> 
> _Besides, don’t you need space for some new orphans?_ (Rey distinctly heard the following silence.)
> 
> _This isn’t going to go the way you think it will. He’s a deviant, just like his grandfather. But there’s nothing I can say or do to convince the youth these days. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord._ (Rey was dismissed and she never looked back).

 

A few months later and she was sitting in his mother’s beach house. After the initial shock that her wayward son was seeing _anyone_ , and most especially _a good Catholic girl_ , Leia had warmed up to Rey immediately. If she had any reservations about them living with each other in her New York apartment, Leia held those cards close to her chest.  
  
Leia was most grateful that her damaged relationship with her son was slowly on the rebuild. As Phasma styled her hair, Rey thought about the conversation she had with Leia that morning on the veranda.

>   
>    
>  _His father died in the Great War when Ben was young. I guess, in trying to keep his memory alive, I pushed my son too hard to be like his father instead of allowing him to be just him. He rebelled against me and I took at as an attack on his father. And a part of me thought that maybe he was too much like his grandfather who defected from England to fight for the communist cause for the Soviets._
> 
> _Under Luke’s advice, I thought sending him to the seminary to be a priest might curb his tenacious ways. But that only alienated him from me further as he was made to feel bad for having sexual or other types of urges.  
>  _
> 
> _After all these years, I still miss Han. But I learned the hard way that Ben is not Han. Nor is he Anakin. Nor is he Luke. He is his own man. He shouldn’t be burdened to follow anyone’s footsteps, and should have been encouraged to carve his own path. I should have made my love and support more clear.  
>  _

Rey had encouraged her to talk to Ben. She peered out the bedroom window, and saw her tall boyfriend lean down to hug his petite mother. It would almost be comical if Rey didn’t know the true nature of their talk.

“Almost done,” Phasma interrupted her thoughts, adding one more pin to the slight upswept curl. “Now you look like a proper greaser girl!”

They took turns admiring each other’s look. Phasma had also styled Rose. Her black hair was blown out and then fastened into a side pony-tail, and she wore a smart red one-piece with a cut out on her left waist.  
  
“Now put this on,” Rose instructed, handing Rey the bikini. 

Rey slipped out of her robe and into the bikini. She was grateful to have shaved her pubic bone, for the binki left little to the imagination. Her small pert breast looked a few sizes bigger behind the tiny triangle. She looked at her body sideways, noting her waist had become a bit more rounded instead of the usual sharp angles. Her normally toned stomach was replaced with a soft but slightly protruding belly.

“I look so fat in this,” Rey cried out.  
  
“Nonsense,” said Phasma. “You look fantastic. The colour really suits you. You are just not used to eating better than the slop they fed you at the orphanage. Besides, men like a little bit of flesh and curve. More cushin’ for the pushin’”

“Hey!” Armitage yelled from downstairs. “Hurry up already!”

“Hold your horses!” Rose yelled back. 

* * *

 

Rey sat between Ben’s legs as they watched the stars, having just finished a supper of hotdogs and marshmallows over the fire. The day was filled with splashing around, low-wave body surfing, and lots and lots of stolen kisses. Ben _really_ liked the bikini, and his fingers strayed in and out of her bottoms, rubbing her clit as they frolicked about in the ocean.

It was an absolutely perfect day and Rey couldn’t imagine anything ruining this moment.  
  
Hux surprised Rose with an engagement ring after a sunset walk along the beach. Poe and Gwen surprised everyone by coming out of the water hand-in-hand with Phasma’s bikini top hastily tied up. Finn had driven up to join them with his new girlfriend, Rae Sloane and they were speaking quietly to each other over on the adjoining log. 

“Walk with me babe,” Ben said as he stood up, reaching down to grab her hand.  
  
They strolled along the beach, soft music streaming from someone’s car radio. Rey watched as the sand washed away and floated back in as the waves crashed to and fro. She could smell the crisp ocean breeze with a slight tingle of seaweed. 

 

>   
>  _Moon river, wider than a mile. I’m crossing you in style some day._
> 
> _Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker. Wherever you’re going, I’m going your way._
> 
> _Two drifters, off to see the world. There’s such a lot of world to see._
> 
> _We’re after the same rainbow’s end, waiting, round the bend…._

 

“You know I love you to the moon and back, right doll?” He asked, his voice hesitantly. She could feel his eyes on her.

“Yah,” she replied tentatively, staring at the sand before her, refusing to look up. _Was he breaking up with me?_  
  
“And you know that wherever I go, whatever I do, it’s for you. And that I will always come back to you.” His voice had an edge of desperation in its’ flexion.  
  
Rey stopped, pulling on his arm, her voice trembling with fear. “What’s going on, Ben?”

“I don’t know how to tell you this. But … I’ve joined the Marines.”

She stood there stunned, her mind racing with relief, angst, fear, and apprehension all at once. She could just make out the whites of his eyes and the pale reflection of his skin against the moonlight. She could hardly process what she was hearing.  
  
“Ben...you are...abandoning me?” Her voice was small, so small that Ben had to strain to hear what she said.  
  
He pulled her into his warm embrace, his strong arms wrapping around her. He kissed her hair, his lips tracing down to her forehead, her cheeks and her noose before finally settling on her lips, drawing out a long kiss. 

“No baby. I’m not leaving you. You will stay at our home and I’ll be back after training, I promise.  I’m just...you know...trying to make something of myself. I want to be more for you than just a greaser living off his family’s money, babe. I want to be a man and serve my country. Just like my father. Just like our president is asking us to do.”

Rey sobbed, partially in relief and partially in sadness. Tears streamed down her face as he stroked her hair, whispering words of love to comfort her.  
  
“Here, I have something for you.” He pulled away and reached into his pocket, pulling out a family ring full of birthstones.  There was an opal, a ruby, a topaz, and what appeared to be a shiny new diamond, brighter than the faded stones set on the ring.  
  
“This is my mother’s family ring. My father gave it to her when I was born. She gave it to me last week, and I added a diamond for your birth month babe.” She gasped, pulling back, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. “Consider this a promise ring babe. A promise to come back to you. A promise for a future. I’ll ask you properly when I come back. Will you promise to be mine?” He asked, his voice a mixture and confidence and fear.

“Yes. Yes, I promise to always be yours. Forever. Promise you will come back to me. Promise!”

“Babe, I promise,” he said, sweeping her into a kiss. 

* * *

 

**June 1, 1961 - Union Station.**

 

Rey watched as Ben left the station. She watched as the train departed until it was no longer in her view.  
  
Rey and Leia made their way to the streets of New York, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes. The smell of a mixture of garbage and fast food hit her instantly, and a wave of nausea overwhelmed her. She raced to an alley before emptying the contents of her stomach. 

“Rey, is everything okay? You’ve been sick quite a lot this last week.” Leia stroked her back, looking at Rey with motherly concern.  
  
“I just haven’t been able to keep anything down. It might be the heat maybe? Or all the nerves because Ben was leaving?” 

“Hmmm. Rey, don’t mind me for being nosy. But when was your last menstrual cycle?”  
  
Rey thought about it for a bit. “I think in January. But I’ve never been regular because of the malnutrition I suffered as a child. Why do you ask?”

Leia looked at her for a second. “I swear, they teach you girls nothing in those convents. God bless the Church, but they need to get with the times. Come with me.”

Leia hailed a taxi and they made their way over the Brooklyn Bridge to Brooklyn. They stopped in front of a doctor’s office.

“I’ve been seeing Dr. Monique Mothma for years. She will fit you in.”

After getting settled into an examination room, Rey met Dr. Mothma. She had short stylish brown hair cropped in a pixie-style, and warm eyes.  After doing a series of tests, Dr. Mothma assured Leia and Rey she would rush the tests and have the results in a day.

“I’m sorry. What did you say?” Rey grasped Leia’s hand.  
  
“You’re pregnant, Rey. And I figure, oh, about 2-3 months based on your symptoms and size. You are going to be a mother.”

Rey sat in the chair in shock as Leia stroked her hand, her own face in joyful resignation.

“How often did you use protection? Condoms? Birth control?” Dr. Mothma asked.  
  
“Umm...never?” Rey blushed. “I was afraid to use birth control because of what the church teaches. And umm..well...he pulled out..most of the time.” 

Dr. Mothma shook her head. “I guess I should ask, but do you intend to keep it?”  
  
Rey gasped, and put her hand protectively over her stomach. This child...their child...was made from love. 

“Of course...I ...of course.”

Leia looked at Dr. Mothma. “The father, my son Ben, he’ll do right by her. He’s in boot camp training with the Marines right now. But this baby is a sign of hope for the future. Hope for my family. I’ll be there to take care of Rey and the baby. She’s not alone.”

Leia looked over at Rey. “You are not alone.”

* * *

 

**November 19, 1961 - Brooklyn**

 

“You have to push Rey. Push hard,” Dr. Mothma yelled.

“Ben!” Rey cried. “I want Ben!”

Leia wiped the sweat from her forehead. “I know dear, but Ben’s away. I sent a message to Lieutenant General Snoke that there was an emergency situation, but I was informed that Ben was away on a top-secret mission. But I know he would want to be here. Just focus on pushing, Rey.”

Leia thought about the last few months. Ben was supposed to come home after training, but they got a letter from Ben stating he was staying to prepare for a secret assignment that he was specifically asked him to assist with. That it was an honour that his skillset was being recognized and that taking the job would be a fast-track to promotion and more money to support Rey.

Both Leia and Rey sent letters to him informing about the baby, but they were all marked returned to sender with a letter. Leia tried using her influence to make inquiries, but Lieutenant General Snoke, Ben’s commander, would not return her calls. Her contact at the Department of Defense was rather tight-lipped. He mentioned something about the Cold War. When Leia asked about Lieutenant General Snoke, Admiral Ackbar became quite tight-lipped and severe other than to mention something about “Operation Ren.”

> _“Leia, old friend. You know I can’t tell you anything. But just know that Operation Rise of Ren is dependent on Ben. He’s our only hope.”_

The scream of a baby jarred Leia to the present.  
  
“It’s a girl!” Dr. Mothma announced.   
  
The doctors cleaned and washed and weighed the baby before laying it into Rey’s crying arms. 

Leia was overwhelmed with emotion as she looked at her granddaughter, born on her son’s birthday. The baby had a full head of dark curly hair, just like her father. She definitely had Rey’s pert nose — thank God! For a brief moment, she thought she saw Han’s signature smirk. Memories flashed back to a time when she held her own son, witnessing the same miniature smirk.

“Welcome to the world Leighan Hope,” Rey cooed, naming her daughter a mixture of her grandparents name.

An hour later, Rey’s room was filled with Leighan’s honorary aunts and uncles: Poe, Gwen, Rose, Hux, Finn and his new girlfriend Jaina. Balloons and stuffies and flowers filled the window-sill.

As the baby was being passed around, Rey wished upon the stars as she clutched her family ring.  
  
_I want Ben back.  
_

* * *

 

**Undisclosed Location**

The phone rang and rang with no answer. Ben hung up, frustrated. It was Christmas and he had a rare opportunity to place a phone call. He so desperately wanted to hear Rey’s voice.

“Kylo? The meeting’s about to start,” Lieutenant Mitaka’s voice interrupted him.

“One minute Dopheld,” Ben reached into his pants for another dime.  
  
“You don’t want to keep Lieutenant General Snoke waiting. Don’t lose sight of the prize, Kylo. We all have a lot to lose if this goes badly,” Mitaka’s voice whispered nervously.

Ben signed and hung up the phone.

He looked out the window up to the stars.  
  
_Just stay patient, baby. I’ll be home soon and we can start our life together._

_I promise._


	4. Be My Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben, Rey and Leighan reflect on the past fifty years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter. I truly hope you enjoyed the this soft little trip down memory lane, Courtney. This was to honor your 50th fic, but I write so slowly that you have already reached your 70th. LOL. 
> 
> Feel free to check out my other work if you liked what I wrote here. Or not! LOL.
> 
> I do have some mild trigger warnings in the notes.

_I’ll make you happy baby. Just wait and see._

_ For every kiss you give me, I’ll give you three. _

_ Oh since the day I saw you. I have been waiting for you.  _

_ You know I will adore you, ‘til eternity.  _

 

_ So won’t you please, be my, be my baby. Be my little baby. _

_ My one and only baby. Say you’ll be my darling.  _

_ Be my, be my baby. Be my baby now…whoa-oa-oa-oa. _

 

_ ~Be My Baby, The Ronettes. _

 

* * *

 

**July 2013**

 

“Paige Gwendolyn! Put the flowers right at the center of the table,” Leighan yelled towards her daughter as she entered the hall with a large bouquet. “Lucas Han, do you have the video ready to go?”

“Yah, mom. I’m just syncing the laptop to the Wi-Fi,” her son replied, pushing back his red hair that fell across his long face, one scattered with moles and an aquiline nose, with intense hazel brown-green eyes. Of all the grandchildren, he looked most like both his grandparents. 

“Hey there Mrs. Hux,” a pair of warm arms settled around Leighan’s midsection from behind. A soft pair of lips nuzzled into her neck. “Relax baby. This anniversary dinner is going to be amazing.”

“Thanks Kaz,” she turned her head slightly to look at her husband, a warm smile breaking out. “You always have a way of calming me down. I just want mom and dad’s anniversary dinner to be absolutely perfect.”

“You are so like your father, you know that?” Kaz replied. “When it comes to the kids, you are like your mom - warm and compassionate. But when it comes to planning things, you are passionate and fiery, but controlled to an exact precision.”

“Not entirely surprising considering that I was definitely a daddy’s girl. Han Jr. was totally mom, and the twins Patrick and Annie were a mix of the best and worst of them,” she paused, reminiscing over the past fifty years. “It’s hard to believe it’s been fifty years.” 

“I know, right? My parents anniversary is just around the corner. I can’t believe dad booked a trip for mom to go to Vietnam. She hasn’t been there since she was a child!”

“I think it’s sweet. Auntie Rose has always yearned for some closure. Speaking of which, look who just showed up.”

Rose entered the hall with wearing a beautiful red silk dress. She looked much younger than her years, the wrinkles around her eyes and lips when she smiled - as she did often - the only sign of her age. Armitage followed behind, looking dapper in a black suit, his red and white hair perfectly styled. 

“Ba Nội!” Paige exclaimed as she ran into her grandmother’s arms. “It’s so good to see you granny. And you too, grandpa! Did you see the Yankees game last night?”    
  
Armitage embraced his granddaughter in a hug as they discussed Derek Jeter’s home run. They were soon joined by Lucas, who spoke to his grandmother in fluent Vietnamese. He was training to be a translator and had a job lined up in Washington D.C.

“Aunty Rose!” Leighan embraced Rose, and they held on for a bit before releasing each other as Kaz greeted his father. 

Rose wandered to the table of photos. She picked up an old photo of Finn and his partner Lando. After a string of marriages to various women, he came out of the closet in the late 1970s, after entering a relationship with a sophisticated older Wall Street broker, Lando Calrissian. She lovingly caressed the photo, showing it to Hux.    
  
“Hard to believe it’s been 30 years since we lost him to that terrible disease,” Rose sighed.

“I miss him everyday,” Hux replied, touching the red ribbon pin he had fastened on his lapel. “I know Rey was particularly close to him, and we know he’s here in spirit. The boy liked a good party.”

“He sure did,” a deep voice echoed behind them. They all spun around to meet an olive-skinned man with a deep twinkle in his eye.

“Uncle Poe!” Leighan exclaimed, running into his arms. “I’m so glad you were able to make it.”

“Peanut, for my goddaughter and her parents, I would fly from outer space if I had to,” Poe smiled, his eyes crinkling in delight. “Of course, Spain is a lot warmer.” He looked around expectantly. “So where are the happy couple?”

“They are on their way. Dad’s a bit slower these days, so it takes a while for them to get places,” replied Leighan. “Old age is catching up to them. But don’t tell dad that!” 

“I get that, Peanut,” replied Poe, the light in his eyes subsiding a bit. “When Gwen was sick near the end there, it would take triple the amount of time just to do basic tasks like walking to and from the car.” 

Poe reached for the photo of Phasma, the light of the flickering memory candle lighting up her smiling face. The photo was taken back in the 1970s,  a very pregnant Phasma standing in front of the new home that Poe had purchased for them in Brooklyn. She wore a patterned green skirt, and a younger Poe had his arm draped around her shoulders, looking suave in a brown suit with orange tie. 

“Beebee should be here any moment,” Leighan said referring to Beatrice, Poe & Gwen’s oldest daughter. “She is picking up the cake.”

 “Excellent. Is that an open bar I spot?” Poe asked with a smile. “Armitage, care to join me for a scotch, like old times sake?”

“Careful now, old men,” Rose warned, her finger extended in a scolding gesture. “We don’t want to have a repeat of Ben’s bachelor party.” 

Poe held his hands up in protest. “Hey, how was I supposed to know that the strippers were drag queens?”

 

* * *

 

**July 1963**

 

“Mama up!” 

“Rey?” 

“Ben, this is your daughter, Leighan.” 

Rey lifted Leighan in her arms, cuddling her face into the soft face of her daughter, inhaling the subtle smell of baby powder in an effort to steady herself. She turned to face her daughter’s father.   
  
Ben stood there was shock on his face, his eyes suddenly and mysteriously wet.   
  
“Is this...but...how?” Ben asked in shock.   
  
Rey raised her eyebrow. “Really? I need to explain how babies are made?”

She could hear Poe and Phasma gently backing out of the diner, the clicking of the door indicating their absence.    
  
“But…,” Ben paused, pushing his hands through his short crop of hair. “Why didn’t you notify me by post?”

“We tried,” Rey replied defensively, adjusting a squirming Leighan in her arms. “I sent many letters and your mother even made a few calls. We got nothing but radio silence, the letters sent back to us Return to Sender.”

Ben’s eyes narrowed angrily. “Lieutenant General Snoke must have interfered.”

“Ben...why didn’t you come home after your training? Why didn’t you ever call?” Rey shot out, almost angrily, tears starting to creep from her eyes. “Didn’t you love me anymore?”

Ben rushed up to her, grabbing her and Leighan to crush them in his embrace. “Baby, you don’t know how badly I wanted to. I never stopped thinking of you,” he paused. “I wanted to be able to come back to you a man who was able to provide. But there is more to the story that I need to tell you.”

Leighan squirmed a bit more, pulling back to peer up at the strange man who embraced them. She bit her baby lips, her cheeks in a puff, as she examined the man before her. Ben was equally as entranced, his eyes looking over his daughter, a miniature of both him and Rey.  

“Hey baby girl. I’m your daddy,” he whispered, reaching his forefinger out to rub down her soft cheeks.    
  
Leighan reached for the finger, clinging it with her small hand. Having seemed to resolve things in her little mysterious mind, she reached other arm forward and lurched her body forward. “Dada hold. Mama. Dada hold.” 

Rey choked a bit as she handed Leighan over to Ben. She wiped the tears that fell fast and furiously as she looked at the man she loved holding their daughter.

“Rey, let’s sit for a bit. Let me tell you the full story,” he implored.

They moved to a booth near the window. Rey could see Poe and Phasma leaning against their car smoking a cigarette, both waiting anxiously for some signal from the diner. She turned her attention to Ben, who was handing Leighan a straw to play with from the dispenser, before turning towards her to begin his story.

“I thought basic training would be hard, but it turned out that not only did I perform and adapt better than I thought possible, my superiors noticed my natural leadership qualities and adeptness. Somehow, Snoke was alerted about my performance, and when basic training was over, he offered me an opportunity to stay behind to train under his mentorship. I received my first rank promotion and he indicated that he saw a great future for me. I saw this as an opportunity for us to have a better future, so I stayed behind.” He reached for her hand, his eyes imploring her. “I thought I was doing the right thing for both of us. You have to trust me when I say I never received any of your letters. I know now that Snoke must have interrupted any incoming correspondence to control me. If I had known…”

“I understand now. But Ben, surely you had time to place a phone call? Surely you got one day off occasionally where you could have checked in with your family.” 

“There is more to this story. About a month into my mentorship, I was approached in confidence by General Rieekan. They suspected that Lieutenant General Snoke was a Soviet spy. They asked me to observe him and gain his trust in order to find confirm their suspicions. We called it the Operation Rise of Ren and I was given a code name, Kylo Ren. I had to convince him that I had shed my old life behind and was solely devoted to his cause. National Security was at state, and I was the key to protecting our nation!”

“Oh my God! So you didn’t walk away by choice?”

“No, my darling. Your safety and security mattered the most. I had to make it appear that you meant nothing to me in order to keep you, and our friends, safe. He was the ringleader of a sophisticated spy network, with reaches as far as New York City. I couldn’t risk exposing you to any danger. The big break for me came when he found out who my grandfather was. For better or worse, Anakin has a cult following in the Soviet empire. Snoke thought I was like my grandfather, and started confiding in me. I became his lead point guy, and soon found myself in a deep underbelly of this network with spies in all levels of society and government.”  

He took a deep breath and looked at her straight in the eye.   
  
“Rey, I had to do things I’m not proud of until the government got enough evidence to bring this circuit down. In the end, I had to kill him with my own hands,” he shook as he closed his eyes. 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me the most. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for Leighan.” His voice broke out in a sob. 

“Ben,” Rey leaned across the table for his hand. “You were doing your job. You were protecting me. Protecting Leighan’s future. I understand. I forgive you.”

Ben stood up, cradling Leighan in his arm by his side, and reached for Rey, pulling her up.   
  
Rey voluntarily entered into his arm, their lips meeting in a flurry of kisses.   
  
They leaned into each other, touching foreheads, their breath hot and heavy. 

“Marry me, Rey. You are the love of my life. My soulmate. My one and only. Let me do right by you and Leighan.”

“Yes, Ben. I love you with all my heart,” she replied with tears, reaching up to caress his face with her palm. “Let’s not wait. Maybe we’ll go to city hall tomorrow.”

“Babe, let’s do it the right way. Lucky for us, I know a guy who is a priest…” Ben smiled down at her. 

 

* * *

  
  


**July 2013**

 

“Mom! Dad!” Leighan exclaimed as her parents walked into the room.

Ben leaned on a cane, walking slowly across the floor as Rey held his other arm tightly. 

“Hey Sweetheart,” Ben said as he leaned in to kiss his daughter on the cheek. “This is quite a shindig you planned. I’m proud of you baby.”

“You guys deserve it!” Leighan replied slightly loud so her father, who was sporting a hearing aid, could hear her clearly. 

She leaned into her mother’s arms for a hug. Rey looked young for her age, save for the generously grey hair and progressive lenses.   
  
Soon they were greeted by the rest of their family -- their children and grandchildren -- and the remaining members of their friends. 

As the evening progressed, Lucas presented his slide show. Rey leaned into Ben’s arms as they watched images of when they were younger flash before the screen. Pictures of Ben and Rey when they were dating flashed across the screen as an assortment of sixties music played in the background. Group shots flashed of the gang at Yankee stadium, the beach, and various church socials. 

A picture of Ben and Rey at their wedding flashed on the screen. First, there was an individual one of his late-uncle, Father Skywalker, blessing the ring, with the gang standing to the side as attendants. The next image is of Ben and Rey standing with Leighan and Leia in front of the church. Ben wore a smart blue suit with a skinny tie and white rose on his lapel, while Rey wore a ¾ length sleeved cream wedding dress, her bouffant hair adorned small veil, holding a small floral bouquet. Ben held Leighan, who was wearing an adorable matching toddler-version of the dress. Leia stood next to Ben, wearing an appropriate egg-shell blue floor-length dress. 

Images of their growing family appeared as they made their way across five decades. There was a picture taken during the seventies of them standing arm-in-arm in front of their camper, with Yellowstone National Park sign in the background, as their four children hammed it up for the camera. Rey sported long wavy brown hair (that had clearly seen a few hot rollers), with big glasses and high-waist jean shorts, while Ben wore brown shorts and a checkered-orange shirt and a hat that said #1 Dad.

There were pictures taken during the eighties of Leighan, standing with her father and a frail looking Finn, in front of her first car, a 1983 Camero. Finn had gifted Leighan his prized sports car just before his death. Ben, sporting a mullet, was bent over inspecting the car from under the hood, while Rey stood to the side wearing a frilly black and white striped boho-styled dress with a red skinny belt. 

They entered the nineties with pictures of their family expanding once more, with images of various children’s weddings and grandchildren births flashing across the screen. There was a picture of Leighan and Kaz in their traditional Vietnamese wedding clothes, standing with both sets of parents, her grandmother, uncle Poe and aunt Gwen. There was a picture of her parents holding Paige and Lucas, tears streaming down Ben’s face as Rey looking on dotingly. There was even the “four generation” picture taken of Luke, Leia, Ben, Rey, and the twins. 

There was a picture of the family gathering around the church in an outdoor evening vigil after 9/11, a very elderly Father Luke holding his hands up in prayer, standing next to his sister who was in a wheelchair holding a candle. It was the last picture they had of their grandmother and great-uncle, who passed away days apart from one another the following year. 

“Thank you for making me the happiest man alive,” Ben leaned to the side to whisper in his wife’s ear, before kissing her cheek.    
  
Rey gently squeezed his hand, her eyes meeting him with profound love in an unspoken communication that developed over their fifty year marriage. She didn’t need to speak the words he couldn’t hear anyways. The eyes said it all.   
  
They were blessed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brief mentions/references to character deaths. First, there is a mention of Snokes death at the hand of Ben. Then there are references to the death of Finn, who died of AIDS during the 1980s AIDS epidemic, and the death of Phasma, who died as well (of lung cancer, even though I don't reference her cause in the story). I also have brief mention of 9/11 (in reference to a prayer vigil had). 
> 
> “Ba Nội!” is grandmother in Vietnamese.


End file.
